​Ah, you have to love the month of December. There’s a delightful chill in the air, sometimes there’s snow on the ground, and everyone has the season of giving on their mind. But perhaps the sweetest moment of all for nerds and geeks everywhere, is the sheer fact that this month also signals the return of one of our favorite television shows, The Librarians, and the time to enjoy wonderful new adventures with this incredible group of heroes has arrived at last since last night signaled the beginning of season four and I have to be honest, I was quite curious as to what this new season was going to bring to the table for the Librarians this year.
 
After all, they won the ultimate battle between good versus evil when they sent Apep packing in last year’s season finale, so what other dangers could possibly await them? Well thankfully the show wasted zero time in introducing a big threat to us since we met the Order of the Shadows in the opening moments of ‘And the Dark Secret’ and well, they’re quite frightening to say the least. Granted, there’s always something chilling about a villain or villains that want to control our minds but the fact that these ‘fine gentlemen’ are on a quest to plunge the world back into the dark ages makes them infinitely more terrifying.
 
However, as this show is wont to do, it’s not enough for our intrepid Librarians to just duke it out with a nasty villain. They need to be challenged and they need to grow and surprisingly, a lot of the character focus fell to Flynn in this series premiere since he was forced to face his past when it was discovered that his original Guardian, Nicole, was locked away in the basement of the Library, by Jenkins, to preserve the prophecy and really, what made this storyline so special is that it allowed for us to see a softer side of Flynn, one that reminds us of his humanity and how far he’s removed himself from it within the walls of the Library and also because this sequence of events set up what appears to be a potentially big thematic concept for season four, faith.
 
Because Nicole did a fine job of making Flynn question the purpose of the Library and its intentions for that matter and for the first time ever, we saw him doubt his actions and his own role in everything when it comes to the Library and despite being able to defeat this awful organization (at least for now because I know I’m not alone in thinking that the Order will be back before long), Flynn still seems to have questions when it comes to his purpose and the integrity of what he’s doing, and it would seem that every Librarian this year is going to have to put pure blind faith into the Library and that it is in fact doing the right thing or things when it comes to keeping the world safe from those who wish to cause humanity, harm. 

​However, rather than end the opening of season four on a somewhat sour note, we were blessed with a second episode last night, one that quite frankly, had a classic and whimsical feel to it. Because ‘And the Steal of Fortune’ found a way to pepper in some ancient mysticism with plenty of laughs and this episode was nothing short of a pure delight. In this particular tale, the Librarians are forced to investigate a casino named Fortune Downs, simply because the bad luck that surrounds the people that spend their hard-earned money in this place simply cannot be related to coincidence, it has to be magic…
 
Now what gave this episode a classic Librarians feel is the sheer fact that the Writer’s Room and Director Eriq La Salle found a way to give the audience a sense of grand adventure, in the middle of a Casino, which really is quite the feat since those places are closed off for the most part, and what was equally as impressive was how seamlessly the script was able to integrate the Greek Goddess Fortuna into modern times with her awesome plan when it comes to stealing luck and really, Sunny Mabrey stole the show in this episode with her portrayal of Fortuna since her performance featured a wonderful mix of confidence, confusion and pure unadulterated ego.
 
But really the highlight of this particular story, was that it was just plain fun. The Librarians were able to do their thing, and deliver a lot of laughs along the way. I mean come on, the fight scene where Jake and Baird are drunk on bad luck was utterly delightful and really, watching Cassandra figure how to make the Roulette wheel work to her advantage with a touch of math was as magical as the artifacts she works to protect and I’m incredibly hard pressed to find a moment in this particular tale where a smile wasn’t plastered on my face from the laughs and the joy this one sent my way.
 
If anything, this was quite the interesting way to open season four of the series since in reality, these episodes are so vastly different. We had the darker, grittier aspect of season three present in the first hour and the second story was vintage Librarians through and through, and really, what has me fascinated about season four, is that in many ways…we are now in uncharted territory when it comes to this show. There’s mystery to be found everywhere once again, and until the Order returns, there’s no real villain waiting in the wings and I think that’s going to allow for the series to do what it does best, and try new things storytelling wise that will no doubt impress us and wow us. Either way, I’m so glad this show is back on the air, and I cannot wait to see what other adventures await us as season four rolls on. Until next time. 

​I have to admit that last week’s episode of Designated Survivor stayed with me for quite some time after I watched it, simply because it was becoming more and more obvious that we were in the middle of the eye of a proverbial storm for the Kirkman Administration and it wouldn’t be long before gale force winds of trouble would once again find their way to the Oval Office, making life incredibly difficult for our favorite T.V. President and wouldn’t you know it…the storm we’ve all been waiting for arrived on last night’s episode of the show.
 
Because ‘Line of Fire’ not only put Tom Kirkman to the test, it irrevocably changed his life in devastating fashion. But before we get to that jaw dropping and unexpected moment, let’s take a little time to talk about the trials and tribulations that the President had to face in this particular tale. Since in the midst of a dangerous fire, one that required massive evacuations, Tom had to deal with a religious group that put themselves in the path of the fire in order to protest a necessary surgery for an infant that was recently born to someone in their parish, because said surgery conflicted with their religious beliefs.
 
Now what made this part of the story so incredibly lovely and joyful was the fact that once again, the President found a way to make everyone involved the matter, happy, by thinking outside of the box while also taking calculated and intelligent risks to save the child’s life and with an assist from Emily, the baby survived, the congregation came off the mountain and while this story brought us all smiles, ugly things were happening behind the scenes while the President dealt with this mess. Specifically, Hannah was trying to figure out where Damian’s real loyalties lie, and unfortunately for Hannah, her worst fears were realized when she discovered that he is in fact a double agent and in a tense moment of confrontation, she was forced to put a bullet in him and say goodbye.
 
However, while all of this was fascinating and tense, none of it compared with the titular moment that changed the course of the President’s life. Because shortly after Alex settled in to give her disposition to the FBI, she found a way to foil Forstell’s inquiry and get him to withdraw his investigation for that matter as well, and it finally seemed as though Alex and the President were going to be able to reconcile and move forward. That is until a truck slammed through the First Lady’s convoy on her way back to the White House, killing Alex Kirkman in the collision and as we saw in the closing moments of the episode, the loss of her life completely and utterly broke the President’s heart.
 
To make matters worse, Damian is alive and well and we still don’t fully know what the heck he’s up to, but it’s clear now that part of Patrick Lloyd’s long-term plans were to break the President down to the point where he may be unable to properly perform his duties because this isn’t exactly the kind of job where Tom can take some time off to grieve. The world is still turning, and a new crisis will find its way to his desk daily, which means that going forward, Tom Kirkman is going to have to find a way to put the grief aside in order to keep the world and the nation safe and while the President is as tough as they come, it’s hard to say if he can overcome something as big as losing the love of his life. But sadly, we will have to wait until February to find out who murdered Alex and whether or not Tom can stay on task and considering how powerful this episode turned out to be…it’s going to be a long and painful wait for the midseason premiere. Until then. 

​You know, I’m always excited for the opportunity to sit down and write about TNT’s The Librarians, because it’s simply an incredible show and there’s so many wonderful things to discuss when it comes to this sweeping saga. But today, there’s another level of excitement that comes with this particular Retro Recap because in a few short hours, the season four premiere of our favorite show will arrive at last and we can bask in the wonder of brand new episodes.
 
But that magical hour hasn’t quite arrived just yet, which means we still have a little bit of time to revisit my personal pick for the top episode of season three and oddly enough, while I struggled mightily when it came to picking a specific episode to write about for season two, it was incredibly easy to find my episode of choice for season three. Because the instant I looked at my Hulu queue, my eyes instantly gravitated to one particular tale…’And the Tears of a Clown’.
 
Now this is the episode where the Librarians had to deal with a mystic carnival and a madman of a magician named Kirby Goulding who used magic for his own personal gain and really, what caught me off guard about this story and why it continues to stick with me to this day, is the fact that it featured such genuine everyday characters, who were caught up in the unexpected power of magic and in all honesty, that kind of twist served as an incredibly refreshing change of pace for this majestic series. Don’t get me wrong, I love the incredible places that we go in this saga, but it’s never a bad thing to try new things and this story went for broke when it comes to that.
 
After all, Kirby wasn’t some mystical creature, or monstrously evil man with machinations for world domination. He was an everyday Joe, and a guy whose life had turned out so sour and so disappointing, that his only hope for joy lay within a distant memory and his story arc not only provided us with a fascinating villain, but a tragic one as well. Because to this day, I’m still wondering if there could have been a way for the Librarians, or even Charlotte to save his ailing soul, but alas we will never know since Kirby refused to let go of his pain or his anger and paid the ultimate price for his shortsightedness.
 
Either way, it is the quality writing of that character and this episode in general that allows for it to continue to stay with me since it was the first episode of season three to really dive into the idea of what everyday people would do with magic, and the series would go on to explore that notion as this particular season wore on and in the end, what I love about this story the most…is that it was bold and daring and it really signaled the beginning of a vastly different year for The Librarians. One that I truly believe stands as the finest season of the series to date, unless of course, season four finds a way to outdo season three, and I guess we will find out if that’s the case, tonight. Until next time.  

It seemed as though that The Punisher was settling into quite the nice pattern when it comes to its style of storytelling. In that, it would offer us an intense episode and then immediately follow that up with something far more intimate when it comes to the characters, and I truly thought that pattern was going to continue with ‘Cold Steel’ since the prior episode was packed to the gills with action and adventure. But wouldn’t you know it? Once again, this show found a way surprise all of us.
 
Because this episode ended up being quite the beautiful hybrid, one that gave us the intimacy with its characters that we’ve come to crave and plenty of action and powerful moments as well, but before we get too deep into the action portion of this hybrid tale, let’s talk about the softer side of this episode which oddly enough came by way of Frank. Who in this story, spent a lot of time facing his past head on by way of the Liberman family, which at this point has sunk into crisis since Sarah is still shattered over the loss of her husband and because Zach is seemingly ready to cause harm to others since Sarah discovers a knife in his room.
 
This crisis forces Frank to unearth the fatherly instincts he buried ages ago and step in to help Zach, who as it turns out isn’t planning to hurt anyone outside of himself because he’s equally as shattered as his mother over his dad’s ‘death’ and really this entire sequence was both heartbreaking and beautiful and it was wonderful to finally see the best parts of Frank on display and of the many memorable moments that came about in this segment, the one that sticks out to me the most, is the fact that David was able to rattle Frank through and through when he called out the war and the darkness residing in Frank’s heart and all Castle could do was sit there, stunned. 

​That moment matters because it, and everything Frank did in this episode truly gave us insight into the man he has become and it was fascinating to learn that Frank has in essence reverted back to what his life was like before he became a husband and a father, and it’s devastating to know that the only happiness he’s ever known came from his wife and children and I love the fact that this episode was willing to take the time to show us the two sides of Frank Castle that are battling it out within his soul, and that it was handled in subtle fashion so that it fits the story and doesn’t feel forced and seriously, kudos to Jon Bernthal for making all of this work by delivering such a powerful performance.
 
But while this impromptu character study was fascinating to watch, I did make mention of action in this tale and all of that came about by way of a look into Billy Russo’s life and if anything, we learned just how evil this man really is. I mean come on, he loves to torture his invalid mother, and he’s not above killing anyone and everyone that might out his secret dealings, a discovery that cost Agent Stein his life when Madani sprung her trap to capture Billy and well…when one considers just how evil this dude really is, you have to wonder as to whether or not he’s going to become the big bad by the end of season one since he even took the time to threaten Rawlins in this tale.
 
In the end however, this was just a wonderful episode through and through. One filled to the brim with important moments for its characters and I love the fact that a saga such as this, one grounded in the notion of revenge, took the time to slow everything down to make each and every character more human. It just goes to show that this really is the finest visual telling of The Punisher’s story to date, and at this point, I’m really starting to hope that Frank finds some kind of peace in his heart by the end of this season because my goodness, David was right. He’s carrying a war inside him and it has to come to an end before it sends Frank to an early grave. Until next time.  

​Despite the fact that the last episode of The Punisher managed to surprise us all with its grand flirtation at becoming a feel-good story, I think we knew it was only a matter of time before Frank was healthy enough to resume his quest for revenge against the men that have done him wrong and well, that’s precisely where the next episode of the series decided to go. Because ‘Crosshairs’ featured a return to the plan, one where Frank and David were able to figure out their next move, and their next target.
 
That target in question? Morty Bennett, a United States Colonel that was also involved in the Kandahar drug ring and unfortunately for Frank and David, they weren’t the only ones who realized that Morty would be the next man up. Because Rawlins and Billy were making plans of their own to use the Colonel as bait to finally get their hands-on Frank and if anything, watching Rawlins and Russo work together was one of several bone chilling moments in this episode since this really gave us a taste of what both of these men are really about and it’s inherently clear now they don’t care about anyone or anything, outside of themselves. 
 
Of course, their twisted idea goes off without a hitch and Frank does indeed show up to deal with Bennett and while it seems as though Billy and his boys from Anvil are able to drive Castle away and spoil his chances to punish Morty and extract information from him, that was all part of Frank and David’s plan. Because David saw a grand opportunity for the Punisher to do things differently for a change and get right to their man without having to fire off a shot by installing a tracker onto the Colonel’s phone and wouldn’t you know it? The plan goes off without a hitch. 
 
It allows for Frank and David to find out where Rawlins lives when Morty visits, and as they head that way to deal with Agent Orange, Billy takes Bennett to a safe house, to demonstrate just how far he’s willing to go to keep his illegal activities a secret since he kills Morty in cold blood. But while that was also chilling to witness, none of it compared to the biggest moment in this story, wherein Frank finally came to face to face with Agent Orange through a scope, only to find that the paranoid spook knows better than to leave something as simple as glancing out of his window to chance, since he had top grade bulletproof glass installed in his home, ruining Frank’s chance at revenge.
 
However, on the plus side, Frank now knows Agent Orange’s true identity and it should be interesting to see what this information does to him on a psychological level since the last time these two men were face to face, Castle was beating the tar out of Rawlins for nearly getting Frank’s unit killed in Kandahar. Either way, this is another episode that featured little in the way of deeper meaning, since Frank was all business in this particular tale and I love the fact that this series is so damn good at balancing intimate storytelling and action and with all of that in mind, it’s time to hit play on another episode of this incredible show to see what Frank does next now that he knows Rawlins is the man responsible for his darkest hour. Until next time.

When we last left Phil Coulson and his friends/family on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. the situation was most certainly grim. After all, the team had apparently traveled into the future wherein planet Earth had been supposedly destroyed by Daisy, and the last vestiges of mankind lived in squalor and fear and under the iron thumb of the Kree and well, this little twist was an incredible way to kick off season five because it absolutely hooked me and I had to know exactly what would come next for this intrepid group.
 
As it turns out, that next step for the team would involve learning more about the devastated world that they now inhabit because ‘A Life Spent’ took us through the day to day hell that comes with surviving in this dark and dismal place and the first thing we learned about this Earth…is that the Kree really don’t care about the humans that they protect, and a fine example of this came by way of Jemma’s story. Because despite her best efforts to care for a young Inhuman girl and help her develop her powers so that she could impress special guests of the Kree and earn a better life for herself and her family, she was instead sold to the highest bidder and an unknown future since Kasius was more concerned about a profit than her life.
 
As if that wasn’t bad enough, we also learned in this episode that humanity as a whole has lost the sense of brotherhood and unity we usually display in times of need and that was demonstrated to us by way of the ‘every man for himself’ mentality we saw in this particular tale. Everywhere you looked, people were watching out for numero uno and were willing to turn neighbors, friends and trusted confidants over to the Kree if it meant they could see another day, and while this was hinted at in last week’s season premiere, it was nice that the show expanded on this further because it gave Daisy’s mission to save Simmons far more depth and meaning when Deke betrayed her because it’s clear now, that outside of Tess’ support, the Agents are on their own…
 
However, it wasn’t all gloom and doom in this episode, because Coulson’s desire to know more about Virgil and his belief in the team being the saviors of all mankind led to Coulson pouring over every detail of the man’s life, and the investigation eventually took Phil into space to see why a particular number/set of coordinates kept showing up in Virgil’s notes and Coulson came to find that Virgil was talking to other human beings out there and that the signal in question was coming from what was left of the surface of Planet Earth. How exactly there’s still life on the surface is unknown at this point, but it is uplifting and good to know that someone out there is still waiting for Coulson and his team to arrive to hopefully put an end to this dark and dreary chapter in mankind’s history.
 
When all is said and done however, holy cow…what a dark episode this turned out to be. It was just nuts to see that little girl be tossed around by a brutal warrior and it was equally as harrowing to see just how far humanity has fallen and really, the show deserves some serious credit for once again treading in such dark territory. It shows that the Writer’s Room is looking to tell an engaging story above all else and they’re certainly accomplishing that. Either way, it should be interesting to learn more when it comes to the revelation that somewhere on the surface there is life and of course, I think we’re all dying to know the answer to the most important question out there when it comes to this storyline…how the heck are the Agents going to get out of this one? Until next time.  

​I have to be perfectly honestly with all of you, in that…a part of me didn’t want to watch last night’s season one finale of The Orville. Not because I’ve suddenly soured on the show or something about this particular tale seemed off putting. No, my reasoning for having such thoughts was selfish and simple; I didn’t want this incredible first season to come to an end. I knew settling in to watch this meant a long hiatus was to follow, one devoid of this refreshing style of storytelling, but it didn’t take long for me to remind myself that I was being silly and I needed to watch this to get my fix, and let me tell you, I am so glad that I did.
 
Because ‘Mad Idolatry’, was an absolutely brilliant way to end the inaugural season of this incredible show since it in essence served as a ‘best of’ reel when it comes to everything we’ve enjoyed this year. There were plenty of laughs, another fine homage to Star Trek, and most importantly social commentary on our world and our lives that just so happened to feature an extremely unique twist, which is something that we will get to in a little bit. Because first, let’s talk about that homage to Trek, since this time around, Seth MacFarlane’s script dipped back into The Next Generation’s well by resurrecting an idea that was featured in the season three episode ‘Who Watches the Watchers’.
 
In that particular tale, a botched observation of a pre-warp society eventually leads to Captain Jean-Luc Picard being viewed as a deity after the crew of the Enterprise works to save a life and that’s precisely what happened in this episode, since a moment of goodwill from Kelly led to her being worshipped on a planet in uncharted space. But as this show is wont to do, it takes ideas such as this to their full potential and that’s where Trek and The Orville parted ways. Because as it turns out, this planet was able to phase in between universes and when it did, 700 years elapsed on their world, allowing for the show to explore what the long-term effects of this kind of worship would have on a society and this made for some sobering television.

​For this is where the story took the time to examine the power of religion and the darker side that comes with it when man bends it to their will, since this world evoked Kelly’s visage as a tool of fear. People were hurt in her name, forced to experience terror in her name, and seeing a world become this from an act of kindness rattled Kelly to her core, and it was only further exacerbated when this society synced up with our current world, wherein wars were being fought in Kelly’s name and the parallels were eerie to say the least and they most certainly gave me pause. But, really the most special moment of the night, came about from the big-time twist to this commentary that I most certainly did not see coming.
 
Because in a desperate attempt to put this society on the right track, the Captain allowed for Issac to live amongst them through the next cycle of their planetary shift and when the time came for Issac to return to the ship, it was clear that this world had been transformed into a technological utopia…but Issac was not the reason why that happened. The people of this time were happy to explain to the crew that science and logical thought won out over all things, and that ages ago, the notion of Kelly as a driving force in their lives was left behind and it was inherently clear that there was a message to be found here. In that, too often we let our passion drive us in conflict over facts and rational thought and that maybe, just maybe, if we flipped the script on that…the world would be a vastly different place and seeing people from a society that overcame their differences, sit there with representatives from the Planetary Union, definitely gave me hope…for a better tomorrow.
 
If anything, this was simply the perfect end to a perfect season, and I was also appreciative of the fact that Kelly and Ed finally understand what they mean to one another, and know that their duty comes above all else since their love did complicate matters in this episode. But when all is said and done, I really am a touch melancholy over the fact that season one has come to an end. This show really took me by surprise with its quality and its intelligence and settling in to watch it on Thursday nights was always a highlight of my week. The Orville is truly something special, and while it’s a shame that we won’t be treated to a new episode next week, there’s definitely comfort to be found in the fact that a second season awaits all of us, and I know I’ll be counting down the minutes until this incredible show returns to the airwaves to dazzle us once again with powerful stories that stay with us long after the show has come to an end. Until next year. 

The age-old storytelling notion of good versus evil is one that always manages to resonate with us, simply because, everyone enjoys a good old-fashioned story wherein someone who is just and true, does their best to keep the darkness at bay and make the world a better place in the process and in many ways, this notion is what has fueled Designated Survivor from the get go. After all, President Tom Kirkman is a beacon of shining hope, one that represents the best of us and he does everything within his power to make the world a better place and keep the bad people in the shadows where they belong.
 
But for some time now, Kirkman hasn’t had a true villain or nefarious cause to fight against and while that’s allowed for us to really see the character shine, it truly seems as though the good times are coming to an end. Because last night’s episode, ‘Three-Letter Day’, seemed to signal that some serious trouble is approaching on the horizon for the Kirkman Administration. But before the clouds came rolling in, we were at least treated to one last joyous tale, wherein every character was allowed to shine as the President asked his team to solve a few mysteries that made their way to his desk in the form of three letters, that he felt could be solved.
 
The end results that came about from the team’s hard work allowed for the President to a put a military’s widow mind at ease about her husband’s service without revealing his infidelity so that his memory could be preserved, and Kirkman was able to save a man’s life without raising any eyebrows regarding any abuses of his power, and to top it all off, we even were treated to some fantastic laughs when it came to Seth and Lyor’s mission to save some bees and for that matter, Seth’s lingering plot line regarding his arrest last week was finally put to bed as well and thankfully it looks like we will be seeing more of our favorite White House Press Secretary since the President values strong people that will do anything to protect those they love. 

​Yet, while all of this made for some quality smiles on our end, as I mentioned before, there are dark clouds gathering in the distance and all of them stem from Patrick Lloyd’s lasting gift to the President by way of the growing scandal with Icarus Astrotech and so much of that came to a head in this episode. For starters, the First Lady seems determined to have Tom abuse his powers to clear her and her mother’s name, something that Tom certainly doesn’t agree with, but more importantly, we came to learn in this particular tale that after all this time, there has been a traitor in the White House’s midst, one that quite frankly I don’t think any of us saw coming.
 
As it turns out, the traitor in question is the ever-plucky MI6 Agent Damian Rennett, and it was revealed in this story that he did everything within his power to prevent Hannah from meeting with the banker who set up the account for the First Lady since such a conversation would reveal all of this to be another Patrick Lloyd scheme and well, this reveal is devastating to say the least because of the implications that come with it. Case in point, did Rennett help Lloyd stay one step ahead of Hannah while he bounced around Europe? Did he help Lloyd return to the United States to execute the plan that’s slowly coming together now, and more importantly…what other plans and schemes is he helping along behind the scenes?
 
Sadly, these are all questions that will have to wait for another time to be answered but in the here and the now, this was quite the shocking turn of events to say the least. It makes this episode bittersweet at best and with Damian’s cover now blown, I have no doubt that things are going to escalate quickly in next week’s midseason finale, so the time has most certainly come to brace ourselves. But, in the meantime, at least we have the other lovely storylines to hang on to from this one, and the fact that once again, Kirkman proved himself to be a champion and force for good, and it would seem that the wonderful moral center that drives him will be an utter necessity for the President in the dark days to come. Until next time. 

You know I have to admit that after watching the second season of The Librarians in my spare time to prepare for season four, I came to realize that I may have bitten off more than I can chew when it comes to this mini-retrospective. I say that, simply because, holy cow, the second season was so dynamic and so much fun that it’s incredibly hard to find a particular episode from this magnificent run that I can call ‘my favorite’ without second guessing myself.
 
But, as I stared at the list of episodes on my Hulu account, pondering upon which one stood about above all else for me, my mind kept coming back to one particular episode time and time again; The Librarians and the Cost of Education. So, since that one seemingly cannot escape my brain, I suppose it wins for my ‘favorite’ episode of season two and looking back upon this one, there really is a lot to like when it comes to this story.
 
For starters, it’s filled to the brim with homages left and right to H.P. Lovecraft when it comes to the many gothic elements scattered about Wexler University. But it’s real tribute to that talented writer is the sheer fact that Lucy’s experiments seem to summon beings straight out of his work. However, while that is a treat in and of itself, let’s be honest, this episode is just plain  fun. There’s just so many wonderful moments between Jones and Jake and honestly, who could forget the wonder of Stumpy?
 
However, all fun aside, this episode did also take the time to introduce something that the saga has yet to revisit by way of the Lady in the Lake when Cassandra goes in to save Lucy, and I’m hoping that’s something that perhaps season four will return us to seeing as to how Cassandra is now a vastly different character thanks to her found abilities and if anything, I think the real reason why I keep gravitating back to this episode time and time again, is simply due to the fact that it took so many risks when all is said and done.
 
It really went all out when it comes to humor, something that the show worked to balance up to this point, so it was different to see the cast let loose and have some serious fun, and it was quite awesome to see the series blend both horror and humor in such smooth fashion. Either way, this one was simply special through and through, and special is one of the many reasons why we love this show and I’ll be counting down the days and minutes as we venture closer to our final Retro Recap from season three next week, shortly before season four gets underway. Until next time.     

​It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of TNT’s The Librarians, because this series is simply magnificent in so many ways. It not only bucks the trend of current television by refusing to become dark and gritty, it features wonderful characters with good hearts that want to do good in the world and every single adventure they go on is thrilling and engaging and really, I can’t get enough of this wonderful show and the good news is, my days of watching re-runs on Hulu are over, because season four is just a week away and I thought I would do something a little different to celebrate the show’s return.
 
Rather than just fan boy over the show it seemed like it might be more fun to look back at some of the episodes I’ve been re-watching from the past three seasons, and reflect upon not only the joy they brought me the first time I sat down to watch them, but what they mean to the series and the fans now because we’ve watched this intrepid group grow over the past four years into some incredible people. So to kick this mini-retrospective of the show, I thought it would be best to not only reflect upon prior episodes on the show’s brand new night, since season four will be featured on Wednesday nights going forward, but to start our journey down Librarian lane where this incredible adventure began in The Librarians and the Crown of King Arthur.
 
Now the first thing I noticed in re-watching the series premiere, is how well this sucker has held up over the years. Often times the first ever episode of a particular show looks and feels different and dated, to the point where it sometimes takes you off guard, but that simply wasn’t the case with this one. This felt like any other episode of the show, with the right mix of wonder, and the saga’s trademark love for humor and lightheartedness. But this has always been a series that features a deeper meaning for its fans and as this particular tale progressed before my eyes once again, I came to realize that this episode has become incredibly relevant as season four draws near.
 
Because this was it, the beginning of the journey, and when you look back at all the characters minus Flynn, you come to realize that the Library gave them a level of hope and purpose that they never knew was possible in life. They were of course getting by before Flynn found them, but in a matter of moments, they were heroes, they were introduced to a world they never knew existed and it was up to all of them to make the world a better and safer place and while this one ended on a cliffhanger with betrayal, it all worked out in the end and in a way, you learn to appreciate these characters more because of the series premiere since in this particular moment, they are so incredibly relatable because we have been where they are in this story, searching for something more.
 
But despite the incredible relatability of the characters, the best part that comes with re-watching this episode, is the sheer fact that a powerful sense of adventure and the excitement that comes with it hangs over every second of the story. Sure, you know how it ends, you know what’s coming next, yet the anticipation and the wonder are still there and that’s what makes this series so special, it activates something wonderful in our imagination, and I’m fairly certain the awe I experienced in re-watching this one will be waiting for me next Wednesday when the season four premiere, hits the airwaves. Until then.